Earthbound, USA to explore the cult classic's origin story

Earthbound might have just missed a critical reception during its North American debut in 1995, but the quirky RPG has accumulated a smaaashing fanbase since then. Between a fan-translated adaptation of Mother 3, the series' most recent game that never made it to the States, and Nintendo's halting of previous attempts to detail Earthbound's development, there are plenty of questions left to answer about the SNES' cult classic. We imagine some of those will be answered in Earthbound, USA, an upcoming documentary about the Earthbound fanbase's push to find recognition for their beloved tale of children saving the world.

Jeff Benson, director of the gaming merchandise site Fangamer, is leading the production, which explores the origins of his initial Internet stomping ground, Earthbound fan site Starmen.net. The documentary crew also recently traveled overseas to meet withseries designer Shigesato Itoi. The Benson Bros plans to launch a Kickstarter for Earthbound USA later this year, with a general release aiming for 2015.